Bugatti Tourbillon launched with 1,342kW and a 445km/h top speed

French boutique hyper car brand Bugatti unveiled the the new Tourbillon to a global audience on Thursday night. Only 250 units of the car priced from €3.8m (R72.6m) will be produced. Special edition models are also planned and expected after its 2026 production start date.

Bugatti prides itself on building the most complex engines, and in keeping with the times, technical advancements and maybe even greening credentials, it now breaks a 19-year-old tradition of using the W16 engine format — essentially an amalgam of two V8 twin turbo engines operating as one.

The heart in the Tourbillon is a new and naturally aspirated 8.3l V16 that revs to 9,000rpm developed by Cosworth on behalf of the French brand. The brand maintains engineering eminence through blending three electric motors — two front e-axles with a third electric motor mounted on the rear axle.

The electric mills contribute 588kW to the 1,342kW and 900Nm total system output. For perspective in the swell of power in the years, the outgoing Chiron produced a maximum 1,177kW in Super Sport 300+ trim, the Veyron had 882kW at best while the ancestral EB110 could muster 450kW from a quad turbo 3.5l V12.

An eight-speed dual clutch transmission manages the unusual marriage in the all-wheel drive Tourbillon, and which includes an e-LSD. The performance potential is said to be a sub two-second sprint from 0-100km/h and as with its predecessors it has a limit of 380km/h extendable to 445km/h with the second speed key. Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac says these figures will be topped as expected with more editions.

Furthermore the new Tourbillon has a 60km EV mode for silent swaggering in the streets of Monaco. The electric zip from an 25kWh and 800V battery system can be charged from zero to 80% in 12 minutes.

What shrouds the new age power-train is a familiar design language, and we'd not be too surprised if you confused the new Tourbillon with the outgoing Chiron. Upfront and on the flanks with large C-shaped cutouts, it’s pure Chiron, as well as the sharper LED headlamps. The snout with the horseshoe grille is more tapered now and reminds the Chiron Divo special edition.

Bugatti’s new dawn happened in 1991 and every Bugatti after the EB110 expressed a distinct, departing design language from its predecessor. The rear looks different, that’s granted, thanks to a single LED light strip across the width and a large diffuser even though it’s not unfamiliar to the sterns of McLaren and a few other super cars out there. 

The scissor doors return since the EB110. Both the Chiron and Veyron had conventional doors while director of design Frank Heyl says the philosophy was to improve on what had gone before, not to redesign for the sake of it. It’s a stunner but we can’t help thinking the company was a bit lazy this time.

Aerodynamics continue to play a critical role in the makeup of the new car. It has a wing, naturally, but this is no longer the main contributor of rear downforce. It certainly assists but now takes more of the role of an air brake. The rear diffuser that is inspired by Formula One cars is the primary source of stability at speed.

Progression is seen inside the snug cabin where a mesmerising upkeep with ornamental and analogue tradition is evidenced through rotary dials with a sparkly high end finish, and arranged in a floating stack that separates passengers. Distinctive instrument dials inspired by the art of horology and constructed using titanium, is another star attraction.

Modernity is kept to a minimum through a single floating digital screen that's machined from aluminium and “Boheim” crystal glass. It retracts when not in use while floor-hinged pedals, well shaped and decorated sports seats complete the air of ultra expense.